


One need not be a chamber--to be Haunted

by BroadwayBaggins



Category: Mercy Street (TV)
Genre: Deleted Scenes, Female Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Murder Mystery, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24060385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayBaggins/pseuds/BroadwayBaggins
Summary: He wasn't quite sure how to talk to her, now that so much time had passed.
Relationships: Anne Hastings & Jedediah "Jed" Foster, Anne Hastings & Mary Phinney, Jedediah "Jed" Foster/Mary Phinney
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	One need not be a chamber--to be Haunted

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Mansion House Murder](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384296) by [BroadwayBaggins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayBaggins/pseuds/BroadwayBaggins), [Fericita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fericita/pseuds/Fericita), [MercuryGray](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercuryGray/pseuds/MercuryGray), [middlemarch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/middlemarch/pseuds/middlemarch), [sagiow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagiow/pseuds/sagiow), [tortoiseshells](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tortoiseshells/pseuds/tortoiseshells). 



He found her on the staircase, dressed to impress and staring at the banister as if searching for something. Jed watched her run her gloved hands over the wood grain and frown, and he wondered for a moment if he should go back upstairs, if he was interrupting something private. For all that her behavior was odd, he knew that being back in Mansion House--in a place he had never once expected to return to, after all that had happened--was bringing up all sorts of memories. He had never expected that he would be able to fall asleep in his old room again, the room that had seen the worst of his addiction and withdrawal, the room where he had lain night after night staring at the ceiling after Mary had been sent away. If it hadn’t been for Mary’s arms around him in the night, her gentle, steady breathing beside him in the bed, Jed wasn’t sure if he’d have been able to catch a wink of sleep.

He cleared his throat, alerting her to his presence. “Miss Hastings, good morning,” he said softly, so as not to startle her.

He had not had much of a chance to speak to her the night before. Her arrival had coincided with the gristly discover of Mr. Bullen, and then her time had been monopolized by Mary and...Eliza. _Mrs. Hale_. It still seemed impossible to believe, that she was _here_ , that she had married Byron Hale, of all people--were there no other suitable men out in California? Had she purposely done this just to get back at him? He certainly wouldn’t put it past her.

No, he was being ridiculous, and if Mary were here with him and could see him like this she would tell him so. He was happily married these twelve years to a woman who loved and understood him far better than Eliza had ever done. The choices of his former wife, misguided though they might be, had no effect on him now. 

Anne looked up at him, and suddenly he was transported back to twelve years earlier, back when the war still raged and the hospital buzzed with activity around them. She hadn’t changed much. There were, perhaps, a few more lines around her eyes and mouth, but he supposed none of them had escaped the last decade or so unscathed by age. Her hair, what he could see beneath her hat, was still coppery and bright, but the smile that crossed her face when she realized it was him, that was new. That was unexpected. He hadn’t expected the last decade to soften Anne Hastings, much but apparently they had.

“Doctor Foster. Is it still acceptable to say that it’s good to see you, given the circumstances?”

“I should say so. Forgive me, I didn’t get a chance to properly greet you last night. Things got...rather out of hand.”

She looked amused. “Sounds like an understatement to me, given you’ve got a dead body cooling down in the cellar. Anyway, blame the rails. My train was late.” She glanced up the stairs. “Is she ready?”

“She will be soon. She sent me down to tell you.” Anne’s gaze dropped to the banister again, and Jed frowned. “May I ask...what exactly are you doing?”

“Looking for something,” she said briskly, as if he were an idiot for not realizing. “I was carrying a tray of instruments up the stairs and I was knocked into by this absolute bear of a man. It made the most horrible sound, and one of the scalpels nicked the wood of the banister. I had thought to look for it, but they must have replaced it.” She straightened up and brushed her gloved hands off on her skirt. “I suppose I just didn’t make as much of a mark on this place as I thought I did.”

“Oh, Anne, you know that isn’t true,” he chided. She gave a sort of half-smile, and a silence fell between them, one that Jed hastily tried to fill.

“When you go see Bridget,” he began, “there are some things you should know--”

“Jedediah Foster,” Anne said sharply. “Are you insinuating for one moment that I do not know how to care for a woman of limited mobility?”

“No, I--” Realization hit him like a slap in the face, and instantly his expression softened as he remembered the letters she had sent him asking for advice on caring for the woman who would become her sister-in-law. Remembered, too, the telegram that had been delivered after the young woman’s passing. “Your sister-in-law. Forgive me.”

“It’s all right,” she said, but she would not look at him. “You have a life of your own. I can’t expect you to remember every little thing about mine.”

“No, that isn’t...” He sighed. “My mind is a bit preoccupied this morning, I’m afraid.”

Her face softened somewhat, the harsh lines smoothing as she relaxed. “I suppose I can’t blame you, considering it was one shock after another last night.”

“Still, I should have remembered. I should have been less thoughtless. I was...I was saddened, to hear that she had died. And right as Charcot was publishing his findings, too.”

“They wouldn’t have helped her,” Anne said simply. “It wouldn’t have made a difference either way. But thank you, Jedediah. She was a good girl--a dear sister. I miss her every day.”

He wasn’t used to seeing Anne this way, without her sharp words like blades to protect her. He wished for the old Anne back, sparring with him, with Mary, even with Hale. Jed forced a smile and glanced up the stairs. “Mary is looking forward to catching up with you.”

“Yes, she mentioned that last night, before we were...otherwise interrupted.” Anne’s eyes had a glint in them that Jed wasn’t sure was teasing or agitated. “By your former--”

“I had no idea Eliza was coming,” Jed said firmly, wanting to cut her off at the pass. “Nor did Mary. Nor did anyone, I wager, other than Mrs. Squivers.”

Anne rolled her eyes. “No, and let me assure you, Mrs. Hale took great delight on our collective surprise.”

“I’m sorry--”

She waved a hand, dismissing him and his words. “Don’t be. We’ve moved on, all of us, and dwelling on the past won’t do anyone any good. I suppose the kind thing to do would be to say that I’m glad he’s found happiness, no matter who it’s with.” She glanced at him slyly. “Of course, given some of her comments last night, I’m not sure such kindness is warranted.”

“For better or worse, this place seems determined to make us dwell on the past, as you said,” Jed mused, looking around at the familiar halls of the hotel-turned-hospital-turned-hotel-again. “Mary and I were just talking about it--”

“What were you and Mary just talking about?” Jed turned to see Mary waiting at the top of the stairs. He dashed up to meet her, Anne following close behind. Mary laughed. “I’m sure I don’t need both of you to escort me down, although I will admit I am flattered. Good morning, Anne.”

“Good morning. Are you ready to go?”

“I suppose so.” Mary turned and kissed Jed, fast and gentle, on the lips. “We’ll be back as soon as we can. I don’t know how long it will take, but knowing Bridget Brannan as we do, she’ll certainly have a lot to say.”

“Yes, but will any of it be useful?” Anne quipped. Mary ignored her.

“Be careful, the both of you,” Jed’s voice was soft but urgent as they turned to go. He wasn’t sure why his heart had suddenly started racing, especially when he knew that Mary was probably safer in the company of Anne Hastings than anyone else under this roof, save for himself. 

“Don’t worry,” Anne assured him. “We will.”

**Author's Note:**

> I felt the need to get Jed and Anne in on the deleted scene fun. I struggled a lot with this (a certain Jedediah Thurmond Foster did not want to cooperate with me for some reason?) so I hope it's okay. In terms of the continuity, this is set right before Anne and Mary go to see Bridget in Chapter 10.
> 
> Title aptly comes from Emily Dickinson.


End file.
